Theo Tollefson

Padres Mission's top 20 prospect rankings continue for the 2026 season. Be sure to check out previous editions here: Nos. 16-20 Nos. 11-15 No. 10: Kale Fountain No. 9: Ryan Wideman No. 8: Ty Harvey (Lake Elsinore Storm) One of the higher upside prep catchers in last year’s draft class, Ty Harvey, finds himself as the number eight prospect in the San Diego Padres' farm system going into the 2026 season. A catcher who graduated from Inspiration Academy out of Bradenton, Florida, Harvey was a Florida State commit before the Padres took him in the fifth round of the 2025 MLB Draft. Harvey’s scouting report before the draft showed plenty of power in his swing for an 18-year old kid. The Friars thought highly enough of him to pay him more than triple his slot value ($1.5 million signing bonus) in order to break his commitment to FSU. In summer showcases and the MLB Draft Combine, Harvey had plenty of home run swings that traveled over 400 feet as well as exit velocities reaching anywhere from 100-110 MPH. But prep catchers are a hard group to bank on maintaining their power from the time they’re drafted up until they reach the upper levels of the minors. Harvey’s seven-game sample size in 2025 showcased the challenge in adjusting to power in the pros from high school pitchers, as he didn’t have a single home run over his 30 plate appearances in Low-A. In fact, Harvey was only 4-for-23 with 12 strikeouts and seven walks. Any player's numbers in their first seven games in pro ball are not enough to judge what their future will be. In Harvey’s case, what we can draw is the makings of decent plate discipline, with a need to fix the holes in his swing that opposing pitchers were able to get via those 12 strikeouts. Harvey will return to Low-A Lake Elsinore to begin his 2026 season and have a runway there all season to work on his strengths and weaknesses at and behind the plate. The key thing to follow will be his power numbers. If he can hit anywhere from 15-20 home runs this season, he will be in good shape to climb up the rankings of the Padres’ farm system. If he doesn’t show that much power, then it’ll be a matter of whether he trades that for more contact and a higher walk rate than he's previously shown capable of producing. Defensively, Harvey had one of the better throwing arms among prep catchers in his draft class. The sample size of how he calls games and stops bad pitches is still not enough to merit how strong his defense will be long term, but belief is strong that he'll stick behind the plate as he climbs the ladder. Harvey will turn 20 on July 28 and has a good opportunity in front of him for his first full season in pro-ball. With Ethan Salas still holding the title of the Padres’ best catching prospect, it allows the organization more time to develop Harvey into their liking and not rush him up the system. In a best-case scenario, Harvey won't be MLB-ready until 2028 or 2029. If he crushes the pitching at Low-A, then it’s likely he moves up to High-A Fort Wayne by the end of this year. If Salas doesn’t turn out to be the MLB star he’s been projected to be, then Harvey will likely be the Padres' next chance at developing an All-Star-caliber catcher behind the plate for the long term. View full article

The San Diego Padres' fifth-round pick from the 2024 MLB Draft out of Firth, Nebraska, Kale Fountain made his professional baseball debut 2025. He had a decent start to his season in the Arizona Complex League, hitting .262/.386/.364 with one home run, 18 RBI, and 12 stolen bases. However, once he was moved up to the next level in Low-A, Fountain had his weaknesses exposed, hitting only .195 with 17 walks and 34 strikeouts over 148 plate appearances with the Lake Elsinore Storm. Fountain has great plate discipline, as he demonstrated in Rookie Ball, and was scouted with 65-grade power while still in high school, but his power has yet to show itself in the minors. That will need to be the next step in his development, especially if he expects to play one of the corner infield positions long-term. As Fountain has a full year in the Friars' system under his belt, he will need to show improvements in his game. The 2025 campaign saw more weakness exposed than upside. He still grades out with a 65 in raw power and 55 in in-game power, but everything else in his game sits at 40 or below in fielding, running, and his overall hit tool. In turn, Fountain is a boom-or-bust prospect in the classic sense. He's got a big frame (6'4", 225 pounds) and was impressive enough in high school to convince the Padres to go way over-slot to sign him (he was originally committed to LSU). Tommy John surgery on his throwing elbow in October 2024 certainly didn't help matters either — with a fully healthy offseason under his belt, there's reason to believe he can turn things around. A corner-infield prospect who played entirely at first base in 2025, there have been ravings about his excellent arm as well. If he can remain nimble as he further fills out his hulking frame, a move to right field could be in the cards (and would take a little pressure off of his bat to develop into a perennial 30-homer threat). And even with middling grades regarding his running ability, he stole more than 20 bases last year and holds Nebraska's state record for career stolen bases (84) at the high school level. Fountain only turned 20 last August, so there’s still plenty of growth and development that can change the course of his future. But the performance in his debut season is cause for some concern about where his floor is at. If he maintains at his current pace, then he may never make much noise in the big leagues, but if he can develop his power into more results and fewer strikeouts, then he will reach his ceiling and ascend up this list in future seasons. View full article

There are still many wondering what went wrong with Jose Miranda in 2025. He set a new MLB record just a year before, getting hits in 12 consecutive at-bats and putting up a respectable .284/.322/.441 slash line in 121 games. But in 2025, Miranda looked completely lost at the plate. He hit a measly 6-for-36 to start the season with the Minnesota Twins, and after he was sent down to Triple-A for the rest of the year, his numbers decreased to a .195/.272/.296 slash line with just seven home runs, and 28 RBI over 371 plate appearances with the St. Paul Saints. When I spoke with Miranda for an end-of-season feature in September, he didn’t pinpoint one exact thing or another as the cause of his numbers taking a drastic drop; rather, his whole swing was off since the start of spring training. “I felt like it was a challenge throughout the whole year,” Miranda said about his swing. “A mix of not feeling comfortable with my setup, my stance, my move at times, that’s kind of been the biggest battle. I feel like that started since I got to spring. So it’s been just a battle of not hitting the ball the way I want to.” So, how did Miranda plan to make adjustments and get back to form this offseason? His first step was reevaluating his whole body as a hitter and identifying the specific areas that felt off, which was much easier to do in the offseason, rather than halfway through the year. From there, he’d work with all of his people back home in Puerto Rico to help get him in better shape for the upcoming season. “I’m going to sit down with my people back home, the people that I always [work with], my trainers that I always work out with. All of those people, my trainer, my therapist, my nutritionist, and sit down and analyze and see some videos and start working. Start working from the get-go. Obviously, I always like to take time off, have a reset the first couple of weeks, and then start building off and get working the whole off-season,” Miranda said in September. Shortly after the MLB Postseason concluded, Miranda returned to game action, playing in the Puerto Rican Winter League for the first time since the 2020-21 offseason. His numbers there aren’t spectacular, but even in the small sample size of 99 plate appearances, there’s been a slight uptick in his numbers. All his slash line numbers have risen up from where they were in Triple-A this year, sitting at .230/.313/.333 with two home runs and eight RBI in 24 games for the Criollos de Caguas. Miranda PRWL Swing.mp4 Based on a video showing one of his two home runs hit in the PRWL this season, it appears Miranda is bringing his hand back a bit more before making his swing. He’s also not raising his front left foot before the swing as he was for much of 2025, and opting for a simple toe tap instead as his timing mechanism. These are looking like helpful improvements for Miranda’s approach to the plate, and may be one of many reasons why the Padres opted to give him a minor-league deal for 2026. Miranda is still young and won’t turn 28 until June 29. He may not be the budding cornerstone player he was projected to be when he first came up with the Twins in 2022, but if the Padres can help him keep improving on the changes to his swing he’s made this offseason, then he can turn into a valuable corner infielder on their bench. But Miranda will need to prove the effectiveness of his swing changes first, and will most likely start 2026 with Triple-A El Paso, barring no major injuries to the Padres' infielders currently on the 40-man roster. The Padres have already proven they can help a player with a broken swing in Gavin Sheets, as Peter Lubaza examined right before the holidays. Miranda getting the extra work in to show those changes sooner by playing in the PRWL should only benefit his chances of reemerging with the Friars. Miranda may never have a season as he did in 2024 again, but if he can come close to replicating the numbers he had as a rookie in 2022 (.268/.325/.426 slash line, 15 home runs, 66 RBI), then his big league career will likely continue beyond 2026 with a chance for a major-league deal after the lockout. Despite all the trials and tribulations Miranda went through with his swing in 2025, he never lost his confidence in his abilities. The short sample size in the PRWL has helped reinforce it a bit, and hopefully, his opportunity with the Padres can help him build up his confidence as a player suited for the highest level of competition. “My mind is always just keep grinding. Keep grinding no matter what happens. If I go 0-for-20, 0-for-50, I’ve just got to come the next day, put in the work, keep putting in the work, and trust the game. And trust that good things are going to come.” View full article

The Seidler Family was the latest baseball ownership group to announce that they intend to put their team, the San Diego Padres, up for sale, as the 2025-2026 offseason is in its infancy. The Seidler Family has had majority ownership of the Padres since 2012, with the late Peter Seidler operating as the team’s control person from 2020 until his death on November 14, 2023. Since Peter Seidler’s death, there have been numerous legal battles over who should have a controlling interest in the team, as his widow, Sheel Seidler, sued his brothers Matt and Bob Seidler after their brother John was appointed as acting chairman of the Padres while the appointment was still pending league approval earlier this year. On top of the legal battles between the Seidler brothers and Sheel Seidler, the Padres had also taken out a $50 million loan to help cover payroll during the 2023 season, as reported by Evan Drellich, Ken Rosenthal, and Dennis Lin of The Athletic in November of 2023. With debt accumulated and an ongoing lawsuit that has not been settled in or out of court, the sale of the Padres could take much longer than folks anticipate. The announcement that the Seidlers are putting the Padres up for sale comes just a few months after the last baseball ownership family, the Pohlads, decided to take their team, the Minnesota Twins, off the market after a 10-month process in which no sale took place. The Pohlads did not have any legal action surrounding their ownership of the Twins that was attached to their exploration of selling the team; however, they had accumulated nearly $500 million in debt and were asking for a selling price of no less than $1.7 billion, which was around the price tag the Angelos family sold the Baltimore Orioles for to their current owner, David Rubenstein. Reports indicated the Pohlads were unwilling to go any lower on a sale price of $1.7 billion after their initial deal with Chicago White Sox minority owner Justin Ishbia fell through in spring training this year. The Pohlads had received offers as high as $1.5 billion for the Twins, but interested parties were unwilling to assume a significant portion of the team's debt, which they hoped a potential buyer would take on. It’s unclear whether the Seidlers have paid off their $50 million loan and interest at this time, or whether they have any additional outstanding debt associated with the Padres. But given the issues the Pohlads had with the Twins trying to attach their debt to the sale to a new owner, any debt attached to the Padres will be an issue for a potential buyer as well. With the lawsuit between Peter Seidler’s widow and his brothers still ongoing, it’s fair to assume the announcement of a new owner of the Padres will not come any sooner than Opening Day at the earliest. The best-case scenario for the Padres to move the sale along quickly is an Opening Day announcement, but given what is tied to this ownership group, both on and off the field, and the Twins' sale process track record, it’s a safer bet that the Padres' sale process could take a minimum of six months and up to a year before a new ownership group is announced and then approved by MLB. But with an impending lockout looming a year from now, it might speed up the pace of the sale process so MLB can have a new ownership group in place before the lockout begins next offseason. There’s no telling how long this sale process will take, but assuming it will take less than six months is a fool's errand. The saga surrounding the sale process of the Twins is just the latest track record to set the precedent ahead for the Padres, and that is what Padres fans should expect to follow as their sale process begins next week. View full article

The Padres' 2025 draft went all in on college players, with 16 of their 19 picks coming from this year's college class. Building off that, nine of their 16 college picks were either seniors or super seniors at their campuses, making them hungry for older talent in the draft. Kruz Schoolcraft Breakdown The Padres kept with their long tradition of drafting a prep player with their first pick in the draft for the ninth straight year, claiming LHP and first baseman Kruz Schoolcraft out of Sunset High School in Portland, Oregon. Schoolcraft is committed to the University of Tennessee, boasting a fastball that averages in the mid-90s and can currently top out at 97 MPH. His go-to offspeed pitch is a slider that currently tops out in the low to mid-80s. As of now, Schoolcraft is projected to be a better pitcher long-term than as a hitter. He's been scouted with a ceiling of being an above-average hitter, but as the top prep left-handed arm in this draft class. The Padres will likely work to keep Schoolcraft as a starter with the heat off his fastball. He still needs to increase spin rates both on his fastball and slider and add a fourth pitch to his arsenal. 3rd Round Pick, OF Ryan Wideman The Padres didn't have another pick after the 25th overall in the draft until the third round with the 99th overall. This began their long streak of drafting college talent, with their first pick out of their pool being outfielder Ryan Wideman from Western Kentucky University. Wideman transferred to Western Kentucky last fall and put up stellar numbers with the team in 2025, posting a .398/.466/.652 slash line with 10 home runs, 97 hits, 68 RBI, 71 runs scored, and 45 stolen bases, a single-season record for Western Kentucky's baseball program. His season earned him several accolades, including Conference USA Player of the Year and Conference USA Newcomer of the Year. He's considered one of the best athletes in the class, but still needs to improve his chase rate as he swung at over 40% of pitches thrown to him this season. An Injured Arm in the 4th Round The Padres decided to take their chances with RHP Michael Salina out of St. Bonaventure University in St. Bonaventure, New York, with their fourth-round pick. Salina pitched in only four games with St. Bonaventure this season before being shut down for the season and undergoing Tommy John surgery in April, leaving him out for any playing time until 2026. The Padres are confident their player development system will get Salina on the right track for his recovery plan and have him out on the field by May of next year. Three Consecutive Super Senior Picks, Rounds 6-8 In the earlier rounds of day two, the Padres pivoted to use three consecutive picks to draft college super seniors who are all already 23 years old. Pitcher Jaxon Dalena out of Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania, third baseman Kerrington Cross out of the University of Cincinnati, and pitcher Jamie Hitt out of the University of Oklahoma. It's an interesting pivot for even the likes of AJ Preller and his front office, but if the Padres can get even one of these three players in the majors a year from now. It could be a successful move for them in this year's draft. The Last Prep Pick in the Draft, Truitt Madonna The Padres made their last pick out of the 2025 prep class in the 11th round, selecting catcher Truitt Madonna out of Ballard High School in Seattle, Washington. Madonna is a UCLA commit. He played with Schoolcraft in the MLB Draft League this summer, already making him a good tandem to catch the Padres' number one pick in the minor leagues once they're signed. The Padres took a chance on Madonna as he had a .872 OPS in the summer draft league, citing it was a good sign for what he can do against the highest level of competition he's faced so far. Consensus on Padres 2025 MLB Draft Class The Padres used this year's draft class to go all in on the older players on their board whenever their turn came to pick. With so many of their top prospects already in the farm system being 23 or younger, they are hoping to use this year's draft class to replenish the ranks in the lower to mid levels of the minors with the talent they selected this year. The most intriguing prospects from this class for the Padres will be Schoolcraft, Wiseman, and Madonna, if all sign with the team. Schoolcraft has the makings to be a big league starter, but he has to work on his balance while making his delivery on the mound. Wiseman will need to cut down on his chase rate and draw more walks as he enters the farm system. And Madonna will be challenged with the level of competition in the pitching he'll face in Low-A, but if he signs and gets paired with Schoolcraft behind the plate, he could make for a long-time career catcher for the Padres' most promising pitching draft pick since MacKenzie Gore. View full article

The San Diego Padres selected outfielder Ryan Wideman from Western Kentucky with their 3rd round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft. Wideman is a 6'5, 200 lbs right-handed hitter, born in Gijon, Spain, to his dad, Tom Wideman. He played basketball there after graduating from college at Clemson. Wideman moved back to the States later in his youth and spent his first two years at Georgia Highlands College, where he hit .423 / .488 / .724 with 22 home runs and 137 RBI, and a 48 stolen base season in 2024. Wideman transferred to Western Kentucky last fall and put up stellar numbers with the team in 2025, posting a .398 / .466 / .652 slash line with 10 home runs, 97 hits, 68 RBI, 71 runs scored, and 45 stolen bases, a single-season record for Western Kentucky's baseball program. His season earned him several accolades, including Conference USA Player of the Year and Conference USA Newcomer of the Year He's considered one of the best athletes in the draft class, but his greatest weakness is his chase rate against pitches ranking above 40%. What balances his chase rate out is how infrequently he strikes out, which will make him a fun development project for the Padres over the next few years. View full article

The San Diego Padres selected LHP/1B Kruz Schoolcraft with the 25th overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft. Schoolcraft is a lanky 6'8, 229 lbs prep pitcher from Sunset High School in Beaverton, Oregon. He was ranked 25th Padres Mission Consensus Draft Board. The 25th draft slot comes with a valued price tag of $3,160,000. Schoolcraft is committed to the University of Tennessee with a fastball that averages out in the mid-90s and can currently top out at 97 MPH. His go-to off-speed pitch is a slider that currently tops out in the low to mid-80s. As of now, Schoolcraft is much better projected to be a pitcher long-term versus his value as a hitter. He's been scouted with a ceiling of being an above-average hitter, but as the top prep left-handed arm in this draft class. The Padres will likely work to keep Schoolcraft as a starter with the heat off his fastball. He still needs to increase spin rates both on his fastball and slider and add a fourth pitch to his arsenal. While super-tall prep pitchers often lack a balance in their deliveries on the mound, Schoolcraft has been evaluated as having a great ability to maintain his delivery on the mound and keep command of his pitches in the strike zone. This marks the ninth consecutive season the Padres have drafted a prep player with their first pick in the draft, dating back to LHP MacKenzie Gore 3rd overall in the 2017 MLB Draft. View full article